Route 41 re-opened after tractor-trailer crash

WEST STOCKBRIDGE -- A section of Route 41 near the Richmond town line was re-opened late Monday afternoon after a tractor-trailer crashed into a utility pole, authorities said.

The 18-wheeler knocked down the pole about 2:40 p.m., according to state police in Lee. The wreckage and wires in the road forced troopers to close both north and southbound lanes of Route 41 from Route 102 in West Stockbridge to Furnace Road in Richmond. The road was re-opened at 5:30 p.m.

Earlier in the day, a tractor-trailer traveling westbound on the Massachusetts Turnpike crashed and jumped the guard rail near the Otis-Blandford town line, according to state police in Westfield. The accident, around 11 a.m., caused traffic to back up for several miles until the scene was cleared early in the afternoon.

In both incidents, the drivers suffered minor injuries. While the roads were slippery due to the snowfall, the cause of each crash remains under investigation.

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